Make plans inside an individual markdown note for every day in your calendar. Use it as a journal for your daily tasks and plan todos in advance. For Mac, iPhone and iPad.
Notes, tasks, passwords, journal, files, calendar, contacts and bookmarks, with mood and medication tracking. Encrypted on your device. Open source, no ads, no trackers. Free forever; Pro is a one-time purchase.
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Which is more popular?
Based on our record, Bear
should be more popular than NotePlan.
It has been mentioned 60 times since March 2021.
social mentions
60 vs 36
Note Taking popularity
78% vs 22%
Base details
Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.
User-Friendly Interface Bear features a clean, intuitive design that makes it easy for users to navigate and manage their notes, even for those who are not tech-savvy.
Markdown Support Bear supports Markdown, allowing users to format their text efficiently and maintain consistency across documents with simple syntax.
Cross-Device Synchronization Bear offers seamless synchronization across iOS and macOS devices, ensuring your notes are always up-to-date regardless of which device you use.
Powerful Tagging System The app includes an advanced tagging mechanism, enabling users to easily categorize and find their notes through hashtags.
Focus Mode Bear offers a Focus Mode that hides distractions, allowing users to concentrate entirely on their writing.
Export Options Users can export their notes in various formats including PDF, HTML, DOCX, and others, making it versatile for different use cases.
Possible disadvantages
Apple Ecosystem Only Bear is only available on iOS and macOS devices, limiting its accessibility to users who are not within the Apple ecosystem.
Limited Free Version The free version of Bear comes with restricted features, requiring users to subscribe to Bear Pro for full functionality, including cross-device sync and export options.
No Collaboration Features Bear does not support real-time collaboration, which can be a significant drawback for users looking to work on notes with others simultaneously.
Storage Constraints Bear stores data locally and does not offer cloud storage, which could be a limitation for users with multiple devices or those who need extensive storage capabilities.
Learning Curve for Markdown While Markdown is powerful, it can be challenging for new users to learn and use effectively, potentially slowing down the note-taking process initially.
Markdown Support NotePlan supports Markdown, allowing users to write notes in a clean and easy-to-format manner.
Calendar Integration It integrates seamlessly with your calendar, providing a consolidated view of notes, tasks, and events.
Task Management Users can manage tasks and to-do lists directly within the app, making it great for productivity.
Cross-Platform Sync NotePlan offers cross-platform syncing, enabling access to notes on macOS, iOS, and iPadOS devices.
Daily Notes The concept of daily notes helps in journaling and keeping track of daily activities.
Tagging System An efficient tagging system helps in organizing and finding notes quickly.
Quick Capture The quick capture feature enables jotting down thoughts and tasks swiftly.
Possible disadvantages
Price NotePlan is not free and may be considered expensive for casual note-takers.
Learning Curve The extensive features might require some time for new users to learn and adapt.
Limited Platform Availability It’s only available on macOS, iOS, and iPadOS, leaving out Windows and Android users.
No Web Access There is no web access, which can be a limitation for some users who prefer browser-based tools.
No Collaboration Features NotePlan lacks robust collaboration features, which makes it less suitable for team projects.
Analysis
An editorial look at what each product does well and who it suits.
BearNotePlan
Overall verdict
Bear is an excellent note-taking app for individuals who value a minimalist design coupled with powerful features. It's especially appealing to users who need a reliable, aesthetically pleasing application for organizing and capturing notes.
Why this product is good
Bear is highly praised for its clean and intuitive interface, allowing users to focus on writing without distractions. It supports Markdown, making it easy to format notes, and offers seamless organization with tags and nested tags. Additionally, Bear provides robust search functionality, cross-note linking, and impressive export options to various formats. It's also known for its synchronization capabilities across Apple devices, making it convenient for users in the Apple ecosystem.
Recommended for
Writers
Students
Apple device users
Markdown enthusiasts
People who prefer a focused writing environment
Overall verdict
Overall, NotePlan is a good choice for those who prefer a minimalist yet powerful tool for managing notes and tasks. It effectively caters to individuals looking for a cohesive system that integrates note-taking with scheduling, making it a viable option for personal and professional productivity needs.
Why this product is good
NotePlan is a well-regarded productivity tool because it combines the functionalities of note-taking, to-do lists, and a calendar in a single application. Its strengths include seamless integration with macOS and iOS, Markdown support for note formatting, and an intuitive interface that makes it easy to manage tasks and notes. Users appreciate its focus on personal productivity and the ability to link notes with tasks and calendar events, which aids in organizing projects and daily plans efficiently.
Recommended for
NotePlan is particularly recommended for users who are deeply embedded in the Apple ecosystem and prefer using apps that offer robust integrations with iOS and macOS. It is ideal for people who like using Markdown for note-taking and those who want a lightweight app that can manage tasks and notes simultaneously in a linked manner. Additionally, individuals who value a clean, distraction-free interface for productivity will likely find NotePlan to be a good fit.
When Bear users talk about it, the common theme you will hear across all people is Bear’s minimalistic UI. Bear comes with no bells and whistles save for a few formatting options. Bear users can link their notes to...
Bear Markdown Notes is an app for macOS and iOS devices with an excellent interface and selection of features that could make me regret my faithfulness to Android. Even the free version offers a number of tweaks — for...
With Bear Pro, you can encrypt individual notes to keep them safe and lock Bear to keep away nosy friends, family, and coworkers. Set a unique password that only you know, use Face/Touch ID to open your notes, and...
Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.
Bear60 mentionsNotePlan36 mentions
Bear turns 10, and it still feels like day one
Agreed! You’d have to navigate to the top level on the site… “Bear is a beautiful, powerfully simple Markdown note taking app to capture, write, and organize your life.” https://bear.app/.
- Source: Hacker News
/
3 days ago
Make Your Vault Look and Read the Way You Want
What I liked was Bear. Its dark sidebar, the calm light page next to it, the way nothing competes with the text. So my example is a Bear-style vault with a dark blue rail in the Tokyo Night palette.
- Source: dev.to
/
about 1 month ago
I'm using NotePlan (https://noteplan.co) and loving it. It's a macOS/iOS app (there's a somewhat limited Web version). IMO, the best balance between PKM and task manager/calendar management. I've also tried Amplenote...
- Source: Hacker News
/
almost 2 years ago
Ask HN: How do you manage ideas, tasks, notes and other stuff?
I've been using NotePlan (https://noteplan.co) with the Projects + Reviews plugin. It's been a game changer for me. The (almost) perfect combination of tasks + notes. I also manage my personal stuff with it. It's a paid macOS app but,...
- Source: Hacker News
/
almost 2 years ago
Bring your life's work together in one digital workspace. Evernote is the place to collect inspirational ideas, write meaningful words, and move your important projects forward.
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